Both sides spending heavily in ad wars in Wisconsin budget and labor dispute

Wisconsin’s budget battle has sparked a burgeoning ad war, with roughly $1.9 million spent on broadcast TV as of Feb 28.

Opponents of Gov. Walker’s plan had spent an estimated $1,031,500 statewide, while supporters of his plan had spent an estimated $831,000, according to CMAG, the ad-tracking firm that monitors political advertising around the country. The biggest spender as of Feb. 28 was the AFL-CIO at roughly $900,000, followed on the other side of the debate by the Wisconsin Club for Growth at roughly $700,000, according to CMAG. “Those are significant numbers,” said CMAG's Evan Tracey. “Everybody’s trying to lead the narrative … In these kinds of fights, with this much attention, you can't just sprinkle in an ad or two.” The numbers above do not include cable ads, which are also being aired. And because they do not include a flurry of new ads that have begun airing since Monday, total spending is probably significantly higher than $2 million. Tracey said the ad war is being waged not just in Milwaukee (the state’s biggest media market) and Madison (the state capital and scene of the protests) but in the state’s other TV markets of Green Bay, La Crosse/Eau Claire and Wausau/Rhinelander.